The Problem With Universal Pre-K
With Naomi Schaefer Riley | Ian Rowe | Katharine B. Stevens
PODCAST
February 16, 2022
The recently stalled Build Back Better legislation contains $110 billion for universal pre-school for three and four-year-olds. Is a large investment in early childhood education universal pre-k necessary or beneficial for the academic and social development of American children?
In this episode, Naomi and Ian are joined by Katharine B. Stevens, founder and acting CEO of the Center on Child and Family Policy and former AEI scholar. Katharine breaks down new data from a randomized controlled trial studying 3,000 children from pre-k to sixth grade in Tennessee. The study revealed that students who did not attend pre-k displayed higher academic performance and were less likely to have disciplinary infractions than their peers who went to pre-k. Research on child development tells us that young kids need consistent, loving, one on one or small group relationships—factors that are often absent from public school pre-k programs. Katharine explains the need to support other ways of nurturing the development of these children, including family stability.
Show Notes:
01:00 | What is the Tennessee Voluntary Pre-K research project?
08:55 | How should policymakers respond to the results from the study?
13:30 | Thinking of school as an antipoverty program doesn’t benefit everyone
17:20 | Human development really comes from strong and stable families
30:00 | How do we encourage more people to follow the success sequence?
See Also
Op-Ed ~ August 3, 2020
Blog ~ April 14, 2021
Podcast ~ December 10, 2020